LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 168
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 168
Late in the evening, I sat at my desk, flipping through a thick household ledger while clicking a ballpoint pen.
-Click.
Watching the pen tip go in and out repeatedly, I let out a deep sigh, lost in thought.
“What should I do about this?”
All I could do was sigh.
“I have too much money.”
A sigh of success, that is.
A happy dilemma I couldn’t have imagined just a year ago. Forgetting the unfortunate past when I agonized over whether to sell my fortuitous encounter, I opened the ledger with a smug smile.
[Total Assets: 1.2 Million Gold]
This Month’s Expenses: 10,000 Gold
[Details]
Food Expenses: 7,000 Gold
Taxes: Tax Evasion
Leisure Activities: 1,000 Gold
Miscellaneous: 2,000 Gold
“Is this what it’s like to have the worries of the rich…? It’s tough. Really tough.”
The household ledger, which once recorded every single shilling, had long since abandoned such trivial units.
Though food expenses still took up the largest portion, I couldn’t help but smile at my now-bulging wallet, a stark contrast to before. I muttered to myself.
“If I save well, I might be able to buy a house in the capital. Or maybe building a mansion with a sea view wouldn’t be so bad.”
As life became more comfortable, my way of thinking changed. The butler, who once worried about starving to death, now felt pleased thinking constructively about preparing for retirement.
Back then, I would sigh endlessly while writing in the ledger. These days, I found joy in keeping it.
Money, it seems, never lies.
As for taxes, the boss said he’d handle them, and even if there were issues, the estate had a tax evasion expert in the Young Lady. There was no need to worry.
-I’m good at money laundering.
-It’s not about adding water and spinning it.
-It’s not?
-No.
-I know that! Anyway, I’m good at it, so ask if you don’t know something.
Since she claimed to be skilled, I figured I could rely on her if any problems arose. Even though the Young Lady had grown accustomed to her idle life, she occasionally showcased her sharp intellect. Trusting her, I nodded.
“Maybe I should start giving her an allowance next month.”
She probably wouldn’t have much use for it, but it was necessary to instill proper financial habits. Smiling, I wrote “Allowance” in next month’s expense list.
‘She’ll like it….’
To the Young Lady, money still didn’t hold much significance.
For some, money is the strength that sustains life; for others, it’s a shackle that binds them. But to the Young Lady, money likely didn’t carry such weight.
Not because she didn’t need it, but because she never had to worry about it.
That was my fault and Darbav’s.
The Young Lady had never earned money herself and didn’t know how to. What she did know was limited to taxes and business matters; she never bothered with the finer details.
Last time, she even took a job attaching eyes to teddy bears without properly checking the payment.
We had become a warm ATM for her.
-Father, give me money.
-How much do you need? A million?
-Yes.
Naturally, we made her see money as something trivial. Even when she was expelled from the household, I, like Darbav, became her financier, so nothing really changed.
That’s why I decided to slowly teach her the value of money. Seeing her knack for slipping platinum coins, I thought it might be okay to give her an allowance.
As I tapped my forehead, pondering how much to give her for her first allowance—
-Ricaaardooo!
A familiar voice called out from the next room.
The Young Lady, shouting my name at the top of her lungs. I wondered what was going on today. Her voice was so loud it seemed the estate’s roof might collapse. Chuckling, I closed the ledger spread out on my desk.
“I’m coming.”
What could it be this time?
A cockroach or perhaps a ghost? The reasons she called me late at night varied, but they were mostly nightmares or fears of ghosts. Anticipating the usual, I pulled a fairy tale book from the bookshelf.
[My Glass Slipper is 3 Million Gold.]
Not a fairy tale from this world, but one I had rewritten with plenty of sensational content just for the Young Lady.
Tucking the fairy tale book under my arm, I left the room. Hoping she’d enjoy the hot new release, my steps were light.
-Tiptoe.
Walking quietly on my toes, I soon stopped in front of a door with a small sign hanging on it.
[The Most Beautiful Villainess’s Room.]
A sign I had secretly placed on her door. Stifling a laugh, I gently knocked.
-Knock knock.
“Young Lady. It’s me.”
There was no response.
Had she fallen asleep in just three minutes? Feeling puzzled by the silence beyond the door, I knocked again.
-Knock knock knock.
What’s this? Is she ignoring me because it’s boring?
As a gentlemanly butler, I couldn’t just open a lady’s door without permission. Clearing my throat, I spoke softly toward the Young Lady beyond the door.
-Knock knock knock knock!
“Ahem. Young Lady? Would you like to make bath bombs with me?”
“…”
With no response from the Young Lady, I drooped my shoulders and lowered my head in disappointment.
It seemed the butler wasn’t needed.
“Okay, bye…”
But leaving just like that felt unsatisfying. I had come all this way, and not seeing the Young Lady’s face felt like dereliction of duty.
Quickly making up my mind, I turned back and walked toward her door.
-Swing.
“Young Lady!”
Entering with a bright smile, I held out the plagiarized fairy tale, “My Glass Slipper is 3 Million Gold.”
Slowly, the dimly lit room came into view. As always, the chilly air from the wide-open window greeted me, and I awkwardly smiled as I began to nag.
“I told you not to sleep with the window open…. Huh?”
On the bed was a giant dumpling. Not an actual dumpling, but the silhouette of the Young Lady wrapped in a blanket all the way up to her head.
“Hiccup…”
For a moment, her curled-up figure looked so much like a well-made dumpling that I tilted my head in confusion and approached her. Gently peeling back the blanket, I spoke in a gentle voice.
“What’s going on? Did a bug show up?”
When she saw my face, the Young Lady rubbed her tearful eyes with her hands and began rummaging through a drawer.
From her frantic movements, I caught a glimpse of glimmering coins. She must have pulled off a heist without my knowledge. Her talent of the underbelly was truly unmatched.
After searching the drawer for a while, she pulled out a platinum coin and extended it toward me with trembling hands.
“This!”
“Yes?”
“Take it.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Just…! Take it!”
What is this?
I didn’t know, but the warmth of the allowance she handed me made me smile as I accepted the coin.
Money really is the best.
Resolving not to spend the first allowance I received from the Young Lady, I slipped the coin into my inner pocket.
“Thank you…”
Before I could finish, the Young Lady threw herself into my arms, not even bothering to fix her disheveled clothes. Even a villainess seemed to feel the burden of conscience.
Smiling at her trembling breaths, I patted her back gently.
“It’s okay.”
And Olivia thought—
‘Thank goodness….’
Letting out a sigh of relief, she gazed at the reddened Blue Window.
-You have failed the Quest.
*
Olivia, who was holding onto Ricardo, exhaled a sigh of relief as she felt her pounding heart.
That was because she feared the sudden appearance of the Blue Window might show her something terrifying.
Olivia, with her eyes tightly shut, let out a ragged breath as she caught sight of the Blue Window over Ricardo’s shoulder.
‘This time, I won’t look.’
Truly.
-You have failed the Quest.
-As a Penalty, you will view a portion (5%) of the 66th Side Story, “The Weight of an Unpayable Debt.”
*
Ten minutes earlier.
While lying on her bed, Olivia had seen the Blue Window appear before her eyes.
Even when she tried to hide her face in the pillow or shook her head with her face buried in it, the Blue Window wouldn’t disappear. Slowly, Olivia clenched her fist and raised her head.
[Q. About the Weight of an Unpayable Debt.]
There is a debt caused by your mistake. A debt of 1 Million Gold, an amount a commoner could never even dream of touching.
Unable to move, you couldn’t repay the debt, and naturally, it became a source of worry for your butler.
Do you remember? One month after using Dark Magic, the sheet of paper the butler handed to you.
The butler, with a smiling face, said, “You can repay the money,” and “Don’t worry.” But behind that smile was the concern of knowing it was an impossible task.
At that time, you hated the butler so much that you tore up the paper without even looking at it. But if you had casually replied, “Fine, do as you see fit,” the story would have turned out differently.
The current you.
The past you.
Both managed to repay the debt.
Of course, it was thanks to Ricardo’s help.
(!) Discover the efforts Ricardo made without your knowledge.
1. Secretly collect three Platinum Coins for Ricardo. (1/3)
2. Steal a glance at Ricardo’s Ledger. (0/1)
Reward: You will gain access to the 66th Side Story, “The Weight of an Unpayable Debt.”
Failure: You will only view the latter portion (5%) of the Side Story.